The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A controller may control electrical and/or electromechanical devices according to a power signal and one or more control signals. For example, the controller may receive the power signal and the control signals and control the devices including, but not limited to, a vehicle fuel pump, a vehicle ignition system, a vehicle braking system, and a valve control system.
The controller may receive the signals via a connector such as a smart connector. The controller and/or the connector may communicate with a power source such as a vehicle battery. When the controller is not in use, the connector may still be in communication with the vehicle battery. Consequently, the vehicle battery may continue to provide a small amount of current to the controller via the connector. Typically, a smart connector includes a microcontroller or other control device that actively determines when to turn off the connector and interrupt power delivered to the controller. Alternatively, the connector may include a separate pin that receives an on/off signal. The connector determines when to interrupt power delivered to the controller based on the on/off signal.